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Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Timeless Question…Would You Change History?
I’ve found my new favorite show this season and it’s
Timeless on NBC. It has drama, action, humor, a great cast, worthy villain (who
may not be so villainous?)…oh and cool period costumes. So the premise is that
a time machine has been created by a mysterious billionaire-like figure. The machine is stolen by a mysterious baddie
(Garcia Flynn), who apparently wants to go back and change American history.
Fortunately, there is another earlier prototype of the time machine just lying
around. (Just accept the concept of two time machines being available.) The government sends three people back to stop Flynn: a history
professor (Lucy), a soldier (Wyatt - the new hottie of the season), and an
African-American scientist (Rufus) who isn’t so hot on going back in time for
obvious reasons. In the first episode, the gang is trying to stop Flynn from
blowing up the Hindenburg (after he ensured it didn’t blow up when it was
originally supposed to).
The show also tosses out an interesting question. If you
could go back and change history, would you? More importantly…should you change it? Would
changing something in the past (even something horrible like people dying)
cause an even worse ripple effect down the line? The first episode featured a
female reporter who is supposed to die during the original Hindenburg disaster. Wyatt wants
to save her, but Lucy insists that fate must take its course. The reporter has to die.
Last night’s episode poses the same question, but with even
more importance. It’s all about the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.
Wyatt and Rufus both think they should warn Lincoln
What do you think? If you had information that could stop a
horrible act like the murder of a president, would you change history? Saving
JFK for example? If you could go back and rid the world of Hitler before he
came to power, would you? Or would that cause even worse consequences, as
history professor Lucy insists?
Have you downloaded Sweet Christmas Kisses 3 yet? My latest book FALLING FOR YOU AT CHRISTMAS is part of a wonderful holiday box set that you can get for only 99cent.
If you haven’t gotten your box set, here are the handy buy links, AND for a limited time you can also get Sweet Christmas Kisses 1 & 2 for only 99 cents.
Want a FREE book? I’m on Instafreebie where you can download FINDING YOU AT CHRISTMAS now. CLICK HERE
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
The Holidays Are Here....Sweet Christmas Kisses 3
Ring in the holiday season with 17 all-new, stand-alone stories from New York Times, USA Today, national bestselling, and award-winning authors. Sweet Christmas Kisses 3 takes you around the globe from small-town USA, to London, England, and even to Africa with a foreword written by USA Today Bestselling Author Donna Fasano. Don’t miss out on this sweet romance boxed set that’s sure to touch your heart, make you smile, and put you in the mood for Christmas.
~*~
On Christmas Eve by Mona Risk
She yanked him out of her heart years ago. But fate throws him in her path again and his tender gaze erases her loneliness. Can they forgive each other and create a new future?
Christmas Holly by Christine Bush
Can a lonely single father of five-year-old triplets find love on a South Carolina beach? It might just take a Christmas miracle!
Mistletoe and Sage by Lyn Cote
New deputy in town, a single mom, two wounded hearts with a puzzle to solve together—will love spark under the mistletoe?
A Merry Little Christmas by Denise Devine
Merry Connor and Anthony Lewis search for treasure and find true love.
The Christmas Gift by Raine English
When Riley Wayne receives a dog for Christmas, it’s not just the pup that makes her heart flutter, the rescue group’s handsome owner does too.
Untangling Christmas by Shanna Hatfield
Tricked into helping with Silverton’s Festival of Trees, electrician Mike Clarke battles faulty outlets, tangled lights, and a woman determined to share the spirit of the season.
A Christmas on Miracle Mountain by Ciara Knight
When it takes a miracle to heal a heart.
The Kampala Peppermint Twist by Milou Koenings
A twist of fate. An overbooked flight. Christmas in Africa will flip her life upside down.
The Road Not Taken by Magdalena Scott
Francie Standish Carrington has some tough decisions to make and a lot of questions about a past she thought she understood.
A London Christmas by Roxanne Rustand
When Catriona heads to London for Christmas to meet a guy she met online, he steals her purse and disappears, but will a handsome photographer in the pub end up being the man of her dreams?
Her Christmas Secret by Alicia Street
Desperate to help her sister’s family, Lila courts a cold-hearted investor for her handmade toys, but learns Christmas has a way of bringing surprises where they’re least expected.
Falling For You at Christmas by Kristin WallaceOne expectant mother. One gorgeous innkeeper. Three days that will change her life forever.
Second Chance Christmas by Merrillee Whren
A young boy helps his estranged parents find love again at Christmas.
Christmas Eve Wedding by Cindy Flores Martinez
A maid of honor is swept up in the chaos of planning her best friend’s spur-of-the-moment Christmas Eve wedding.
Secret Wish by Victoria Pinder
Luke Morgan doesn’t believe in miracles, but this season Christmas brought him Caro Soliz, the family maid.
Candleglow and Mistletoe by Josie Riviera
A rising pianist and a pro stuntman winding down his career find love amid the glow of Christmas candles.
Couple by Christmas by Pat Simmons
Divorcee Derek Washington wants to reconcile with his ex-wife by Christmas. Although he’s got a plan, with the help of his six-year-old son, Derek only has two weeks.
Join the authors for the Release Party, Tuesday, Sept. 27 on Facebook!
All 17 authors in this boxed set write sweet romances and are members of Sweet Romance Reads, a group of authors whose books contain no sex, violence, or strong language. While the emotional stakes are high as the characters’ relationships grow, these stories are wholesome. Think movies rated G or PG. Therefore, Sweet Christmas Kisses 3 can be enjoyed by romance readers of any age.
Snuggle into a chair by a cozy fire with a cup of hot chocolate and allow these bestselling and award-winning authors to bring the holiday season alive as they warm your heart.
Purchase the book at your favorite online retailer:
Kindle: http://amzn.to/2aMrYfN
B&N: http://ow.ly/TNSp304tvX5
iBooks: http://apple.co/2aFTjN3
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2aGREsk
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2baWaSj
And don’t forget to connect with the Authors at Sweet Romance Reads:
Website/Blog: http://SweetRomanceReads.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/SweetRomanceReads
Twitter: http://twitter.com/SweetRomanceRds
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/donnafaz/sweet-romance-reads/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/123223-sweet-romance-reads
Or connect with each of the Sweet Romance Reads Authors individually:
A tireless traveler, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Mona Risk, writes contemporary romance, medical romance, and romantic suspense novels, all simmering with emotion, sprinkled with a good dose of humor and set in the fascinating places she visited— or in Florida, her paradise on Earth.
Website | Newsletter | Facebook | Twitter
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Christine Bush is an award winning author of many sweet romances, mysteries, and novellas. When she’s not writing, she can be found teaching Psychology at a local college, working as a Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice, or (mostly) spending time with her twelve grandchildren.Website | Facebook | Twitter
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Award-winning author of over 40 romances, Lyn Cote writes inspirational historicals and contemporary romantic suspense in her distinctive brand, "Strong Women, Brave Stories." Lyn lives in a cottage on a lake in the northwoods with her real-life hero husband and (for comic relief and furry cuddling) her two cats.Website | Newsletter | Facebook | Twitter
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Denise Devine is a USA Today bestselling author of romantic comedy and she also writes inspirational fiction. She wrote her first book, a mystery, at thirteen and has been writing ever since. She writes about true love, happy endings and stories that touch your heart.Website | Facebook | Twitter
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USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Raine English writes sweet small-town contemporary romance, paranormal, and romantic suspense. She's a Romance Writers of America Golden Heart finalist and a Daphne du Maurier Award winner. Raine lives in New England with her family and two French bulldogs, Bailey and Dolly.
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Convinced everyone deserves a happy ending, hopeless romantic, USA Today bestselling author Shanna Hatfield is out to make it happen one story at a time. Her sweet historical and contemporary romances combine humor and heart-pumping moments and relatable characters.Website | Newsletter | Facebook | Twitter
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Ciara Knight is a USA Today and Amazon Bestselling author who writes 'A Little Edge and A Lot of Heart' that spans the heat scales. Her popular sweet romance series, Sweetwater County (rated PG), takes readers into small town romance full of family trials, friendly competition, and community love.Website | Newsletter | Facebook | Twitter
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Milou Koenings writes heartwarming romance novels because she believes sweet stories with happy endings are like chocolate – they bring joy to the world and so make it a better place. She’s lived all over the world, working as an editor and newspaper columnist, but loves staying home with her family most of all.Website | Facebook | Twitter
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USA Today bestselling author Roxanne Rustand is the author of thirty-five traditionally published novels, plus four indie novels. She was a Golden Heart finalist twice, and a Golden Heart winner in 1995. She has won two RT Magazine Reviewers’ Choice Awards, and was nominated for an RT Magazine Career Achievement Award. Her earlier books were secular, but she now writes sweet indie romance, and inspirational romance for Love Inspired.Website | Newsletter | Facebook | Twitter
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USA Today bestselling author Magdalena Scott writes sweet romance and women’s fiction with small town settings. She invites readers into her world to find out what’s hidden just below the surface of those tiny dots you can barely see on the map—mystery, romance, and the occasional unexplained occurrence.Website | Newsletter | Facebook | Twitter
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Award-winning and USA Today bestselling author Alicia Street writes both sweet and steamy romances and sometimes collaborates with her husband, Roy. She spent many years as a dancer, choreographer, and teacher and is a compulsive reader of every genre.Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
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Kristin Wallace is a USA Today bestselling author of inspirational, contemporary and women’s fiction filled with “Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith.” Her popular series include the Covington Falls Chronicles and Shellwater Key Tales.Website | Facebook | Twitter
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Merrillee Whren is an award-winning author who writes inspirational and sweet romance—stories that stir your emotions. She is married to her own personal hero, her husband of forty plus years, and has two grown daughters.Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest
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Cindy Flores Martinez is an Amazon bestselling Spanish romance author. She writes sweet romantic comedy and Christian romance. Her debut novel, Mail-Order Groom, started out as a screenplay and movie project, which she shopped around Hollywood, New York, and other parts of the world.Website | Facebook | Twitter
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Victoria Pinder is a bestselling author of science fiction/fantasy and contemporary romance where her stories all include “Bold Women and the Brainy Men who love them.” Her popular series include the House of Morgan and the Collins Brothers.Website | Facebook | Twitter | Free Novella
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Author Josie Riviera writes Historical, Inspirational, and Sweet Romances. She lives in the Charlotte, NC, area with her wonderfully supportive husband. They share their empty nest with an adorable Shih Tzu who constantly needs grooming and an old house forever needing renovations.Website | Newsletter | Facebook | Twitter
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Pat Simmons is a three-time Emma award-winning author for Best Inspirational Romance. With more thirty Christian romance titles, Pat is the bestselling author of the Carmen Sisters series.Website | Newsletter
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Wednesday, September 21, 2016
This Is Us "Twist" Ending
WARNING!
THIS POST CONTAINS A SPOILER ABOUT THE SHOW “THIS IS US”.
If
you haven’t seen ‘This Is Us’ yet, but are planning to, don’t read this.
Okay…you’ve been warned.
I’ll
let you know a little secret. I am sort of a television whisperer. I often
figure out the “twists” in shows (and movies) pretty easily. I used to shock my
former roommate by always saying the next line a character was going to say
before he/she actually said it. Maybe it’s that, yeah, I watch a lot of TV.
Also, I’m a writer so I listen to the dialogue and if you do that it is usually
pretty clear what will come next.
One
thing you should also never tell a writer is that your show has an “unexpected
twist” at the end. Right. That triggers my brain to start coming up with
thousands of “twists”.
Such
is the case for ‘This Is Us’, a new show on NBC. I’ve been seeing the previews
for weeks now and it looked pretty good. A lot of the reviewers said it was
good. But then I read one of the Fall Preview magazines and it mentioned that
there was an “unexpected twist” at the end.
Specifically,
the article mentioned the show features interwoven stories of several people
who are turning 36, and they are connected in a surprising way. Well shoot…now
my brain has have to come up with scenarios about how they are connected and what exactly is the "twist" at the end.
Things I knew from the
previews:
-The
first couple (Milo & Mandy) is having triplets, but they lose one baby.
Milo is 36.
-There’s
an overweight woman asking the actor guy how it’s possible they’re 36.
-There’s
a black guy who finds his father (he was abandoned as a baby). He is also 36.
My
conclusion:
-Milo/Mandy
are most likely the parents and all their scenes are in the past, specifically
1980 (36 years prior to 2016).
-The
woman & actor guy are the surviving babies all grown up. Their scenes are
present day.
Note:
My writer brain actually took it one step further, wondering if the woman &
actor even know they’re brother & sister. One scenario I dreamed up was that
Milo/Mandy are killed somehow and the “twins” are raised by other families.
The
puzzle was the black guy who was abandoned by his father. In my scenario
Milo/Mandy are killed by a drunk driver and the black guy’s father was
responsible. That’s why the son was left at the fire station.
Okay,
I got that one wrong. The overweight woman & actor do know they are
siblings. They are clearly in the present day though. People have cell phones
and the actor’s on-set rant is on YouTube.
Contrast
that to the Milo/Mandy scenes. No cell phones anywhere, no computers. They are
pretty good about not showing clothing. Most of the people are wearing hospital
scrubs. The hospital room doesn’t have much technology though.
The
real question was how the black guy fit in. He emphasizes several times that he
was adopted. Then he brings the father home and he picks up a picture frame.
“This is your family?” But the picture was not shown. Okay then… Milo/Mandy
adopted that baby after one of their triplets died.
The
nail in the coffin is of course Milo standing in front of the nursery looking
at his daughter/son and there’s the abandoned baby right next to them.
And
oh yeah...The fireman who brought the baby in offers Milo a cigarette. This
happens IN THE HOSPITAL. Can’t smoke anywhere near a hospital anymore. That’s
when the camera pulls back and you suddenly see all these people in 80s clothes
and the TV screen is news with a picture of Ronald Regan.
BINGO…I
am good.
Did
you watch it? Did you figure out the “twist”?
I’d love to offer you a
FREE book. Just click here and download to join my newsletter. Not only will
you get the book, but also periodic updates on new books,
contests and other cool things.
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Taking the Leap and Surviving the Pitch
The authors would congregate in the hallway outside the room and wait until they were allowed in. This gave us plenty of opportunities to talk to them during the wait. Most of the authors I talked to seemed very new, and very nervous. It's been a long time since I did my first pitch, so at this point I don't really get nervous, but I understand how nerve-wracking it can be to sit down with a stranger and try to sell your book in only 10 minutes. I ended up calming a lot of them down, with pretty much the same advice. So I thought I'd share my tips for surviving a pitch for the newbie authors.
1) Remember you LOVE this book!!!
With every nervous author, I would ask...do you love your book? After a moment of stunned realization, they would always get a huge grin on their face as they replied "yes". So I told them to just go in and tell the agent about the story they love. That's all you need to do.
2) Remember to Breath...
It may sound silly, but doing deep breathing exercises helps every time. It's an old theatre trick I learned way back in Junior High. You inhale to a count of 8, and then exhale to a count of 8. Do it several times. It helps calm you down and center your thoughts.
3) Remember the pitch doesn't have to be perfect...
The point of a pitch is not to show how good you are at pitching. It's to tell them enough about your book...so they can tell if they're interested in seeing more. I've heard editors and agents say that a "good" pitch doesn't always translate to a "good" book. By the same token, a person might bomb at pitching, but their writing could be great. So don't worry if you aren't polished perfection.
4) Remember editors and agents are normal people...
Agents and editors are not mythical creatures, with special powers (other than the power to represent or buy your book). I have heard a few stories about nasty encounters in pitch rooms, but for the most part they are extremely nice. They WANT to find a great book and they hope yours will be the one. So approach them like you would anyone else and just talk to them.
So there you have my pitch tips.
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